LAUSR

Diabetes is the most common cause for end stage renal disease leading to kidney transplant. Post transplant glycemic management has significant impact on long term outcomes, but is challenging, especially while transitioning patients from intravenous to subcutaneous insulin dose. This study was therefore planned to assess factors which influence subcutaneous insulin dose after kidney transplant. Data was prospectively collected from 98 consecutive kidney transplant patients with type 2 diabetes at a tertiary care hospital in India, with regards to age, gender, height, weight, duration of diabetes, pre transplant insulin dose, pre transplant use of oral antidiabetics. First two days after transplant patients are nil by mouth and are on insulin infusion (column based method). On third day, patients are transitioned to multiple subcutaneous insulin. We assessed and recorded the subcutaneous insulin dose requirement by 4th and 5th day. Mean (SD) for patients’ age was 52.28 (6.32) years, height 167.83 (5.64) cm, weight 70.55 (14.32) kg, body mass index 25.39 (4.72) kg/m2 and duration of diabetes 13.3 (7.02) years. All 98 transplant recipients were male. Mean insulin requirement before transplant was 15.37 (20.24) units/day. Mean post transplant intravenous insulin infusion rate for 4 hours before transitioning to subcutaneous insulin was 2.07 (0.987) units/hour. Mean subcutaneous insulin requirement after transplant was 73.18 (25.45) units/day or 1.12 (0.61) units/kgbw. Mean basal insulin dose was 25.32 (10.91) units. Mean bolus dose before breakfast was 10.75 (4.37) units, before lunch was 20.12 (7.4)) units, before evening snack was 6.65 (3.43) units and before dinner was 10.75 (4.11) units. In terms of proportion of total daily dose (TDD), mean basal insulin was 0.34 (0.08) of TDD, bolus dose before breakfast was 0.15 (0.03) of TDD, before lunch was 0.28 (0.05) of TDD, before evening snack was 0.09 (0.04) of TDD and before dinner was 0.15 (0.04) of TDD. Subcutaneous insulin dose after transplant correlated with insulin dose of the recipient before transplant (Pearson’s coefficient 0.43; p value 0.003) and weight of the patient (Pearson’s coefficient 0.32; p value 0.001). It did not correlate with age of the recipient, duration of diabetes, intravenous insulin infusion rate or tac level. On multivariate linear regression analysis to assess the factors predicting subcutaneous insulin dose after transplant, only pre-transplant insulin dose was significant (p value 0.046). Age of the recipient, duration of diabetes, weight of the patient, intravenous insulin infusion rate or preoperative use of oral anti diabetic were not significant In kidney transplant patients with type 2 diabetes, only pre transplant insulin dose predicted the subcutaneous insulin dose post transplant.